Not an Idiot
by GhostAnn
Summary: Jack Fenton was not an idiot. Jack Fenton was far from it. Jack was a scientist through and through. Maybe too much of a scientist... What can Jack do when his son is seriously injured because of one of his inventions. Has he really killed his own son? Honestly, he doesn't know if he can fix this, and that scares him. [under reconstruction]
1. Chapter 1

_Hello. I haven't written anything in a while... I tried to go back to some of my old story's but haven't found much inspiration in them... So... I figured I'd get this out of my system.  
_

_I don't know about anyone else, but I've liked Danny Phantom sense the first time I saw it. Still, I've always felt uneasy about how... conflicting and under developed Jack's character always seemed to be... so here's me trying to find character in Jack Fenton... I like it so far. I'm going to take it as a far into the series as I can stand._

_Anyway. For the helk of it. Please enjoy! :D_

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**Not an Idiot**

Chapter One:

Jack Fenton was not an idiot. Jack Fenton was far from it. Jack was a scientist through and through. He was always excited by the idea of the unknown and always searching for answers. He knew how things rose and fell. Lived and died. He knew exactly how dark the world could be. He knew all too well.

Still, he couldn't help but want to make it a little bit lighter. When he wasn't working on his inventions he was cracking jokes and trying to connect to people. This was harder, he'd often think, than it should have been. He usually settled for talking about ghost since some people actually seemed interested in them. Yet, he'd always slip into techno speak and would get overly excited. He could tell, even his children wanted to run from him when he spoke. Yet, he kept taking and talking- because if he didn't he feared he'd be isolated. He couldn't think of a solution to this problem. People weren't his specialty. Ghost were, and it was fitting, he often thought, because his biggest fear had always been that he'd become invisible. In all honesty it all kind of felt like some kind of cosmic misunderstanding.

Jack was the kind of man who was motivated by the idea of creating new things, by finding new things. His life's work revolved around uncovering the mystery's of the paranormal. Such mystery's as specters and spooks. That involved an understanding of science and math that not many took the time to grasp. Jack knew that his focus made him awkward around most people. He knew he was a goof when it came to regular things that had nothing to do with ghost. He found himself looking at obituaries and wondering if they had become a ghost. He'd wonder, if they had, how much of that had to do with their mind and body, and how much of it was an outside effect. Such as an environmental setting. He knew that wasn't exactly normal.

He looked at his life and had to scratch his head. He really didn't understand how he got to where he was. He considered his life blessed, for lack of a better word. He was married to the love of his life and along with providing them with two beautiful children Maddie also shared in his love of the paranormal. Sometimes he thought she loved the study even more than he did. She helped him build many experiments over the years. Now after years of work Maddie had finally helped him finish his greatest idea, their greatest experiment. The Portal to what they called the Ghost Zone. The machine was massive. Large enough to fit a tank through it. It was designed with the intent to eventually lead to full on explorations to the alternate world. It gets really technical but the Ghost Zone was, according to theory, the flip side of the "Living World." Almost an alternate dimension- but far too close to really be considered such.

Jack always wondered were all the ghost in the Ghost Zone the remaining energy's of the living world? Did it cycle through some how? Why was it that ghost seemed able to come to the living world? Has man ever been to the Ghost world? As far as popular theory had deduced ghost didn't die. Yet, their world was irrevocably connected to this one. What was the connection? There were so many questions and more made that had Jack all the more determined to tare down the wall between the two sides.

The day that the portal was to be turned on Jack received a letter. Jack stared at the invite for a long time. Its appearance set him on edge as his thoughts were drug into the past. The letter was from his old collage friend Vlad Masters. Inviting him and his family to a School reunion that would be taking place in a couple of months. Jack took in a shuttering breath. Vlad hadn't talked to him or Maddie since the accident. Maybe he'd forgiven them? Forgiven him. Was it the world giving Jack the green light or was some higher power trying to remind him of what happened the first time he tried to tare the wall between the worlds.

That day was supposed to be the highlight of their collage careers. In the end Jack nearly lost his best friend... and it was all his fault.

Jack shook his head and stuffed the card in his back pocket as he walked up to the portal his mind rolling with the thoughts of Collage. Thoughts of his old friend. Jack knew Vlad never forgave him for the accident. Jack worked thoughtlessly pulling in wires and screwing on the final bits of panel. Hooking up the emergency off button on the inside of the portal. It was supposed to be functional in the rare case that while they were working on the inside of the portal during maintenance they could completely power it down if something went wrong. Jack wiped the panel and blinked, the switch was supposed to be labeled "OFF" and just have one large red button, this panel was labeled "ON OFF" with two buttons. He scratched his head. Realizing he was probably spacing out a little too much. He fiddled with it realizing the on button made a clicking sound activating and deactivating the mechanism. The off button didn't do anything. It was silly but it should still function how he wanted it to. All the really complicated wiring and materials had been put together and finished days before. The whole thing wouldn't fall apart because of one little miss labeled panel. He looked at the one button panel in his hand and shrugged. He could drill another hole and add a secondary button later. Trying to refocus his thoughts on happier things Jack gathered up his tools so he could add the last touches to the control panel on the outside of the portal.

Latter that night he gathered his family in front of the portal. His wife Maddie his two children Jazzman and Danny. The excitement was palatable.

"It's all set up!" Jack said. His heart racing with anxious and eager energy. He was always like this when first trying new projects. His worry and fear of failure so strong he couldn't keep himself from shaking. He smiled as big as he could and told the world. "THIS WILL BE THE BEST BRAKE THROUGH IN GHOST HUNTING HISTORY EVER!" If he could convince the world he could convince himself- his mother always told him that. With the proclamation out he picked up the last set of wire that needed to be connected in order to complete the circuit. The last peace needed to tare down the walls between the living and the phantasmal. Jack felt his heart beating as a whirling sound began to build up in the portal. Jack saw Danny's tired look shift to a curios gaze and Jazz's look although still scrutinizing doubtful seemed to twitch with anticipation her eyes on the portal rather than on her book. He glanced at his wife whose eyes shown with excitement and wonder. He felt his smile start to relax feeling more natural as energy began to spark deep inside the portal. This time things were going to be perfect. As that thought crossed his mind a large zap of electric energy trailed through the whole of the mechanism and they lost complete power. The electricity safe guards had turned off all the power in the house as something had clearly malfunctioned within the machines wiring. Jack felt like the whole house had come falling down on top of him. The lights flickered back on after a moment and he tried to breathe normally as he looked to the disappointed eyes of his wife. Glancing to his kids he saw Danny looking up at him. Was that disappointment in his eyes too? Jack couldn't tell the boy's brows were knitted together, his eyes wide as he looked up at him. Jazz scuffed. "I knew it was just another crack pot invention! A portal to another world? Give me a brake." Mumbling she walked up stares.

Maddie placed a hand on Jacks shoulder and he looked to her. She gave him a tentative smile. Jack sighed. "Well... I guess it just wasn't meant to be." Jack said unable to fake a smile. Unable to push his happy shield through.

"Oh Honey." Maddie hugged his arm close to her as she pulled him toward the stairs. "Let's go upstairs we can have some hot coco and snicker doodles."

"Wait!" Danny said his voice full of confusion and worry. "That's it? You're just... going to give up?"

Jack bit his lip unable to look back at his son. The words sounded judgmental to his ears, after making his proclamation- his son must be thinking less of him now. He tried hard to bight back tears. Maddie patted Jacks shoulder. "Sometimes there are points where it makes since to let a project go." Maddie said her voice quiet and trembling. She took a breath and smiled holding her hand out to Danny. "Come on sweaty. I'll make us all some hot coco."

"O-okay." Danny stepped forward, and Maddie pulled him into a hug and patted him in the back as she pushed him up the stairs. "Go on." She said fallowing him up.

Jack stood still watching their legs climb the stairs as they left the basement. For a moment he felt frozen, his limbs burned and it wasn't until his body forced in a deep breath that he blinked, and shook his head. Swallowing his disappointment he gave one last glance to the portal and left. It was clear that the world was not ready to tare down walls.


	2. Chapter 2

_Welcome back. I'm guessing you liked the first chapter and decided to read on? If so I'm glad! I am not going to promise an update every day... I'm going to shoot for once a week or once every other week depending on how much free time I get. Still I'll post what I do have for now... which is this. I know where I'm going with this for the most part so you don't have to worry to much about me not knowing what to write next... anyway... enough of me talking... please enjoy._

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**Not an Idiot**

Chapter Two:

Jack was upstairs in the Operating Center when it happened. Maddie was out shopping and Jack had thought the kids were still out on the town hanging out with their friends. The lights flickered and he felt a small tremor. Frowning Jack put down ecto bazooka he was working on and pushed his chair to the observation deck. Flicking on the switch he gazed at the monitors. When his eyes fell on the lab monitor he saw the portal lit up with an eerie green glow.

His stomach flipped. Was it true!? He stood rushing to the elevator. As he slapped the button to take him down he realized he'd seen a couple figures on the screen. He was so excited he didn't bother to really look. His mind recalled a red beret though and he thought it must have been Danny and his friends. Jack rushed down the stairs to the basement. "Danny boy? What are you doing down here?" Jack was unable to stop looking at the portal. He would take his eyes off of it for a second to give a quick scan but his eyes would always go back to the glowing energy.

"What was that?" He heard a shaky voice, the boy Tucker's voice, Jack decided.

"I- I don't know." He heard Danny respond weakly. "D- Dad!"

Jack's head snapped quickly from the portal to his son who was laying on the floor. His friends standing on either side of him him. Jack's eyes were wide as he noticed that his son's body was smoking. "Mr. Fenton." Sam greeted.

"Hey- we were just looking at the portal and-

"It turned on." Danny interrupted his friend Tucker rubbing his arms as the smoking dissipated. "I- we- don't know what happened."

Jack swallowed. Had his son been standing in front of the portal when it activated? Jack pulled Danny up and the boy wobbled his legs giving out- Jack quickly picked him up cradling him in his arms.

"D-dad." Danny blushed visibly embarrassed. "I-I'm okay- I just got a-a-a little shocked."

"Well. Let's get upstairs and make sure that little shock didn't do significant damage." Jack said calmly. Danny looked to him surprised. "You two should head home. I need to talk to my son about lab safety." Jack's voice was even- something Sam and Tucker had never experienced. It was a bit unnerving.

"Y-yes sr." Tucker said skipping up the stairs.

"Sorry Danny... talk later." Sam walked up the steps Jack fallowing them up. He sat Danny down in a chair at the kitchen table.

"I'm okay." Danny kept insisting as Jack went and grabbed a glass of water and sat it in front of him.

Jack sat down across from Danny and folded his hands as he studied his son. The boy's hair was deserved and his eyes looked tired, as if he hadn't slept for weeks. Jack waited for his son to say something but Danny wouldn't even look at him. "You shouldn't have been down their without me or your mother." Jack finally said seriously. "What if something happened?" Jack bit his lip as he saw Danny flinch. Jack wasn't sure he knew how to handle this. Grounding Danny for not doing his chores was easy. How was he supposed to find a fare level of punishment in this situation without coming across as heartless. His son could have died. Jack clamped his hands together and took in a deep breath, trying to keep his limbs from shaking."Look. I'm going to wait till your mother gets home before I lecture you on this. We'll both get to get at you at once so we can get it done and over with." Plus, she'll know what to do. Jack bit that last sentence off. Danny did not need to know how scared he was.

"What?" Danny asked looking surprised he jumped out of his chair and Jack's breath caught and he stared as his son stood a good 2 inches above the ground. "Do we really have to tell mom?" He asked panic clear in his voice.

Jack couldn't speak for a moment, unable to take his eyes off of his floating son. Danny hadn't seemed to notice the anomaly. "Yes..." Jack pushed his words out slowly. "Plus you'll have to tell us how you managed to turn the portal on." Jack said licking his lips his insides so twisted up he wasn't sure if he was speaking calmly out of anger, fear, or sorrow. "It's something that your mother and I hadn't had a chance to examine yet." His eyes moved to look at his clinched hands but he immediately brought them back to his son. It felt wrong. He shouldn't be feeling ashamed or even scared to look at his son. Danny was clearly shaken up. He needed to be present for Danny's sake.

'Well... I hit this switch... I think it said it was the on switch..." Danny shrugged his eyes looking to the side as he took an unsteady step back and fell into his chair. He took a deep breath and buried his head in his hands. The boy's solders shook. Jack felt a little bit of relief wash over him as he noticed Danny was showing symptoms of over exposure to ectoplasmic energy. He was clearly still breathing and clearly still himself. Jack stood and squeezed Danny's shoulder, feeling the boys muscle squish under the skin and the sharpness of his shoulder bone. It was hard to explain- but his son was solid. He was fine. Jack smiled, his son wouldn't feel this alive if he was... Jack shook the thought away. "Well you go upstairs and lie down. You look like you're half dead." Jack bit his lip at the slip, feeling a peace of his heart crack.

Danny let out a light laugh. "I feel half dead." The boy stood, solidly on the ground and trudged into the living room. At the bottom of the steps Danny stopped. "Thanks Dad..." He said giving him a half smile. "For not flipping out on me entirely."

Jack felt a lump form in his throat so tight he was worried he wouldn't be able to speak. He swallowed. "Don't worry. You're mother will do enough of that for the both of us when she get's home."

Fear flashed on the boys face for a moment before he nodded and set his chin. "Yeah." Danny gave a stiff nod before moving and Jack watched as his son walked up the steps. God he hopped that his boy would be okay. Jack slumped back into the chair. His head was spinning with all the information he was going through. He'd have to watch Danny for a while to make sure that his cells weren't compromised.

Jack stopped mid thought as his mind was going over the different devices he could use to check this.

Danny said he hit an on button. The only button labeled on was inside the portal. Jack felt like his limbs were on fire as adrenaline rushed through them. That couldn't be right. If it was that button- Danny wouldn't be just a little weak and singed- he'd be dead. Jack shook his head. No. Danny must have hit something else. The kid was a little out of it.

Jack felt a migraine coming on and looked to the couch where his embroidery tools were. He decided to move there and work on some needle point. The task was something that calmed his mind and helped him think clearly. He really needed to think clearly right now.

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_As you can probably tell Jack isn't liking where this is going. Sorry if this seems short... it seams short to me... Anyway I'll be posting the next chapter on Friday- as long as I don't forget... so look out for that- and if I don't post something and you really really want to read more feel free to scream at me._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

That night after Danny had fallen into a deep sleep Jack stood outside of his room with Maddie as they looked in on him. The boy was soundly sleeping breathing in and out. "You're saying Danny was hit with a blast by the portal?" Maddie asked, her brows notated together as she looked up to Jack as he pulled the boy's door shut.

Jack dropped his hands holding his palms up as he shook his head sadly. "I'm saying he was probably covered in it." He kept his voice as quiet as he could. "I promised him you'd yell at him later." Jack said with a weak shrug walking toward the stairs. He really needed some fudge. "I don't think we should wake him though- his body is probably trying to stabilize the cells as we speak."

"Oh god. How did this happen Jack?"

"I-" Jack paused at the top of the steps licking his lips nervously. "Let's get some fudge and I'll tell you what I think happened."

"Okay." Maddie whispered and fallowed Jack down the stairs. She pulled out a couple of plates as Jack pulled out the tray of fudge, it was a good distraction, sweets, they always brought his mind back form the rushing logical thoughts. Letting him just exist in the enjoyment of flavor. He could easily slip into thoughts of why food tasted good- but that side of science didn't demand his attention and was easy to ignore when he was in the tingly sharp world of chocolate. "Now." Maddie said taking a small bite of her fudge, braking him from his admiration of said substance. "You said you thought you were home alone when the portal activated?"

"Yeah sweetheart- I was working on the Bazooka up in the opt center when the lights flickered and there was just this... rumble. I looked at the monitor's and saw that the portal was on. I didn't get a good look at who but I did see that there was someone down their. So I went to check it out... Maddie, when I got down there he- Danny was laying against the wall, smoking."

"Oh!" Maddie put a hand to her mouth the fudge completely forgotten.

"I thought about giving him a thorough check, but I didn't want to scare him." Jack mumbled picking at the corners of his fudge. "So I did a basic observational check. Made sure he was breathing- checked to see that he was solid... He was, but..." Jack took a deep breath. "I've come to the conclusion he's exhibiting signs of exposure to a large amount of ectoplasm. He's showing a- a disconnect with the world around him... but only on the physical plain." Jack added the last part quickly when he saw Maddie pail.

"Like I said he's still breathing and as far as I can tell still solid- His personality was stable and other than being shaken up and clearly worried about receiving your wrath he seamed fine."

Maddie nodded looking more and more worried. Finally a small voice left her. "How disconnected is he?"

"Well…" Jack bit his lip and took in a deep breath. Just as he was about to answer he was interrupted by a yell that sounded an awful lot like a startled Danny followed by a thud. Jack shared a wide eyed look with his wife before they both stood rushing to the living room where it came from to see Danny laying on the floor wrapped in his comforter looking startled at the ceiling. "Danny boy!" Jack said loudly, trying to cover his fear. He winced noticing he sounded more excited than calm or even confused. "What are you doing on the floor?" This sentience sounded more appropriately confused and at a more natural level.

Danny blinked a couple times before he looked to his father. "Um... I was just-t... uh..." He let out a nervous laugh, looking pail. "Um… I was- a- a glass of water- I- was going to get a glass of water. I don't... I don't know what happened." He said looking away clearly nervous. Jack frowned. He could tell Danny was lying. He just didn't understand why. Maybe he really didn't know how he'd ended up on the floor and didn't want to sound crazy. Jack nodded to himself. That would make sense. Danny didn't seem to believe in ghost- if he was falling through things the boy probably wasn't physiologically ready to accept that this was happening let alone mentally prepared to understand why.

Maddie had rushed to the sink to grab a glass of water per her son's ramblings. Quickly she broght it to him. Danny took the water gratefully and gulped it down, swalowing in loud gulps. Even if he'd lied about how he'd ended up on the living room floor it was clear he hadn't lied about wanting watter. Jack wondered if the exposure to the ectoplasmic energy had dehidrated him. Maddie brushed Danny's hair back and placed her hand on his forehead and then on his cheek. "Oh. You feel clammy Danny. Are you feeling any better?" Jack blinked frowning deeply as he was brought back from his thoughts to the pressent issue.

Danny shrugged. "I'm... sorry Mom." He said slowly looking intintly at the glass in his hands. He glanced at her once before he continued a bit more franticly. "It was stupid of me to mess with the portal- I didn't- I mean... I... was just curios. Then-" He stopped. Seeming unsure as to how to continue. Finally he setled his gaze on his mom his eyes watery. "I won't ever do it again."

"Well..." Maddie bit her lip seeing the boy tremble. Gently she placed a hand on his cheek rubbing a stray tear from his eye with her thumb. She took a breath she had to be the parent here. "You're grounded for the next 3 days. That means you can't leave the house and Sam and Tucker are just going to have to entertain themselves." Danny nodded. Staring at the empty glass in his hands. Maddie dragged her hand through his hair and kissed his cheek. "You should get back to bead."

"Yeah. You had a hard day." Jack added weakly. "We'll have that sturn talking in the morning."

Danny nodded rubbing the palmbs of his hands against his eyes. With a deep breat he stood and pulled the blanket up around his shoulders. "Okay… Night." He said adwardly as he gave a weak smile and walked toward the stairs his leg banging into the side of the couch as he walked by. "Ow..." He moaned his head loalling back a bit.

"You okay?" Maddie asked worrie dripping in her voice.

Danny nodded shaking his foot lightly as he continuged walking making his way up the stairs. Jack and Maddie watched him go. "Good night son." Jack said.

"What just happened?" Maddie asked after they heard the door to his room shut.

"If I had to guess I'd say that there was enough ecto energy in his system that it disconnected him from this plain and he slipped right through his bead and the floor." Jack said.

"You're saying he fazed through the second floor?" Maddie asked sounding horrifide as she looked up to the ceiling.

Jack shrugged. "It makes since he was floating a little after the accident."

"Is he going to be okay?" Maddie asked looking to her husband clearly holding back a storm of panic.

Jack stuffed the entirety of his cube of fudge into his mouth before he swallowed and answered. "We can use our tools to check him. Make sure he's okay."

Maddie nodded. "How much should we tell him?"

"Until we know what this has done to him I don't think we should tell him anything." Jack said. "The psychological stress could make his condition worse. As long as he thinks he just got zapped..."

"What about what just happened?" Maddie asked. "If he continues to disconnect from the world he'll start to float- he might float through the roof. And even if he doesn't he's bound to notice something- and that could stress him even more than the truth!"

"Don't worry Maddie- falling through the floor takes a lot of ecto energy- it probably is a good thing- it means that he probably just expelled a large amount of it and is returning to normal. If that's the case we don't need to needlessly scare him." Jack resoned.

"I hope you're right."

"Have I ever steered you wrong?" Jack asked giving her one of his lop sided smiles.

Maddie grinned elbowing him in the side. "Yes- yes you have- but normally you get back on the right track. So… I guess for now, let's get down stairs and make sure our son doesn't die."

Jack nodded. "LET'S DO THIS!" He yelled trying to yell the doubt away. He had to prove to the world that he wouldn't screw this up.

"Let's do it quietly." Maddie said patting him on the shoulder.

"Right." Jack grabbed another peace of fudge before he raced down the basement stairs.

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"It's strange." Maddie said. To Jack a week later. "Danny is still fazing through small things- yet he hasn't come to talk to us about it. His body is perfectly healthy but he set's off all of our ghost hunting equipment. Do you think he really hasn't noticed?"

"I'm sure he's noticed... and it doesn't make sense." Jack agreed gripping his head in frustration. "I've gone over it forward and backward and... I just can't make heads or tails of it Mad's."

It almost seemed like their son was a ghost but not. Jack bit his lip. "Ha!" He laughed.

"What's so funny?" Maddie asked.

"I just was thinking... what if Danny was a ghost but not a ghost at the same time?" Jack slapped his knee. "It's absurd! Listen to me! I sound like a crazy person!"

Maddie giggled. "Jack. That is a crazy idea." She set down the blue prints to their newest device. The Fenton Finder. It was a design they'd been developing to find ghost. A month or more and it would be operational. "You don't think he is actually a ghost do you?" Her voice was low almost as if she was scared of the answer.

Jack froze staring down at his large hands. "He is." Jack said slowly feeling the guilt flood in. "And it's all my fault. I never should have done it Maddie. I never should have built that damn portal. I killed our son!"

Maddie studied her husbands face. Then she looked at the sheets they had spread out. The notes- the data- they had collected on Danny's condition. Just observational notes. Both agreed it was to invasive- to insensitive- to do any physical test without his knowledge. "No. He's defiantly not a ghost." She said without any doubt.

"But Mad's-"

"Jack." Maddie said looking to her husband. "Our boy is not dead. Danny is not a ghost."

Jack took a steadying breath. "Fine." He said. "He's not a ghost. He's not dead… but… I think I should start teaching him about ghost. Maybe it'll help him realize what's happened to him. Then he'll realize its ghost related…"  
"And he'll come to us!" Maddie smiled catching on to Jack's train of thought. "Because he knows no one knows more about ghost than his own parents!" Maddie was practically bubbling from the idea. "I have it! Let him know you want to give him an overview of ghost hunting- a little ghost hunting 101 after school tomorrow." Maddie nudged him in the side. "It'll be a grate way for you and him to connect, and you can even broach the subject tell him you noticed he's been fazing through a few things. But make sure you let him know you don't think he's a ghost." Maddie said. Jack blinked wondering why that little bit was important.

Danny wouldn't think he was a ghost so why would he have to reaffirm that he wasn't. Jack shook his head then rubbed his chin thinking about it. "It could work." He said. Nodding to himself, trying to block out any thoughts of how it could go wrong. "It'll defiantly work!" He beamed at his wife giving her a huge hug. "I'm going to go tell Danny right now!" He raced up the basement steps to catch his son before he left for school.

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_AN: Okay here's chapter 3... I wasn't sure about adding the little bit at the end rather than put it into it's own chapter but I guess that I went with the former. Sorry if this note is a bit... blah... I'm ridiculously tired... Next chapter will be up in a week... Thank you again soooo much for reading.  
_

_Also thank you for the comments! I know I have a hard time with the homophones... and I'm working on it. Thank you _KiKat for pointing out a couple of them. (it's hard to fix what I don't know what is wrong- so I love when people tell me these things.) I was tired when editing this so there might be mistakes... When I get some sleep I'll try to come back and edit it...

Alright. Goodnight!


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